Anatomical-imaging communication device

ABSTRACT

A device is described that can include a probe, a mobile device, and at least one processor. The probe can examine a corresponding anatomical part of a body. The mobile device can have a camera to take an image of the anatomical part of the body. The mobile device can execute a patient-application to process the image. The at least one processor can be configured to transmit the processed image to a server via a communication network. Related apparatuses, systems, methods, techniques and articles are also described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/146,860, filed onJan. 12, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/672,367, filed on Nov. 1, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,918,338), whichis a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/905,077, filed on Feb.26, 2018 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,463,307), which claims priority toPakistan Patent Application No. 24/2018, filed on Jan. 12, 2018. Thecontents of each of the documents noted above are hereby fullyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter described herein relates to an anatomical-imagingcommunication device that can: be calibrated to image an anatomicalregion of a body, image the anatomical region to obtain one or moreimages, filter the one or more images, and transmit the one or morefiltered images to a clinical computer via a communication network.

BACKGROUND

Screening and examining of anatomical regions of interest on the humanbody—such as skin, eye, nose, throat, ear, teeth and mouth—areconventionally performed using different diagnostic devices rather thana single device. For example, a dermascope, an otoscope, anophthalmoscope, an otolaryngoscope, and a dental scope are used forexamining skin, ear, eyes, ENT (i.e., ear, nose and throat), teeth, andmouth, respectively. Such traditional devices are large and bulky.Moreover, they often lack the capability to document (e.g., image)regions of interest, as a result of which patient electronic healthrecords may not be regularly updated and maintained. Further,traditional devices lack simplicity of structure/construction, as aresult of which training on and troubleshooting of such devices is timeconsuming and tedious.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a device is described that can include a probe, a mobiledevice, and at least one processor. The probe can examine acorresponding anatomical part of a body. The mobile device can have acamera to take an image of the anatomical part of the body. The mobiledevice can execute a patient-application to process the image. The atleast one processor can be configured to transmit the processed image toa server via a communication network.

In some variations, one or more of the following can be implementedeither individually or in any feasible combination. The anatomical partof the body can be one of an ear, a nose, an eye, a mouth, teeth, andskin. The at least one processor can be a part of the mobile device. Theserver can be a cloud computing server. The server can be configured tosend the processed image to a clinician-application. The device canfurther include at least one lens that is positioned between the cameraand the anatomical region.

In another aspect, a cloud computing server is described that caninclude: at least one of one or more software development kits (SDKs)and one or more web modules, an application programming interface (API),and at least one controller. The at least one of one or more SDKs andone or more web modules can receive an image of an anatomical part of abody from a patient-application executed on a mobile device within adevice. The API can enable at least one processor to read the image. Theat least one controller can include at least one processor. The at leastone processor can be configured to: display a plurality of filters on agraphical user interface of the patient-application; receive, from thegraphical user interface, an input on the graphical user interfacecomprising a filter selected from the plurality of filters; identify atleast one parameter of a plurality of parameters that is associated withand specific to the selected filter; execute the selected filter on theimage by using the at least one parameter to generate a filtered image;and transmit the filtered image to the a clinician application via acommunication network.

In some variations, one or more of the following can be implementedeither individually or in any feasible combination. The at least oneprocessor can calibrate the mobile device prior to the receiving of theimage. The calibrating of the mobile device can include: receiving aprior image of the anatomical part from the mobile device; and executinga plurality of functions on the prior image to return the plurality ofparameters for the mobile device, the at least one parameter of theplurality of parameters being used to filter the image. The plurality offunctions can include two or more of a morphological operation on theprior image, a histogram equalization function on the prior image, anoise removal function on the prior image, a contrast adjustmentfunction on the prior image, an unsharp masking function on the priorimage. The cloud computing server can further include at least onedatabase to store the plurality of parameters.

In yet another aspect, a system is described that can include a deviceand a server. The device can include: a probe to examine a correspondinganatomical part of a body; a mobile device having a camera to take animage of the anatomical part of the body, the mobile device executing apatient-application to process the image; and at least one firstprocessor configured to transmit the processed image to a server via acommunication network. The server can include: at least one of one ormore software development kits and one or more web modules to receivethe processed image of the anatomical part from the at least one firstprocessor; an application programming interface to enable at least onesecond processor to read the processed image; and at least onecontroller including the at least one second processor. The at least onesecond processor can be configured to: display a plurality of filters ona graphical user interface of the patient-application; receive, from thegraphical user interface, an input on the graphical user interfacecomprising a filter selected from the plurality of filters; identifyingat least one parameter of a plurality of parameters that is associatedwith and specific to the selected filter; executing the selected filteron the processed image by using the at least one parameter to generate afiltered image; and transmitting the filtered image to the a clinicianapplication via a communication network.

In some variations, one or more of the following can be implementedeither individually or in any feasible combination. The anatomical partof the body can be one of an ear, a nose, an eye, a mouth, teeth, andskin. The at least one first processor can be a part of the mobiledevice. The system can further include at least one lens that ispositioned between the camera of the mobile device and the anatomicalregion. The at least one second processor can calibrate the mobiledevice prior to the receiving of the image. The calibrating of themobile device can include: receiving a prior image of the anatomicalpart from the mobile device; and executing a plurality of functions onthe prior image to return the plurality of parameters for the mobiledevice, the at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters beingused to filter the image. The plurality of functions can include amorphological operation, a histogram equalization function, a noiseremoval function, a contrast adjustment function, and an unsharp maskingfunction. The cloud computing server can further include at least onedatabase to store the plurality of parameters.

The subject matter described herein provides many advantages. Forexample, a single device can be used to screen and examine variousanatomical regions of interest on the human body, such as skin, eye,nose, throat, ear, teeth, mouth, and the like. This device can be small,light in weight, and easy to carry. The device can document (e.g.,image) the anatomical regions of interest, as a result of which patientelectronic health records can be automatically and regularly updated andmaintained. The device can have a simple structure/construction, as aresult of which training on and troubleshooting of the device is easy,quick, and can be performed by a layman.

The details of one or more variations of the subject matter describedherein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the descriptionbelow. Other features and advantages of the subject matter describedherein will be apparent from the description, the drawings, and theclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an anatomical-imaging communication device (alsoreferred to as the device) that includes a probe, a detachable lens, anda mobile device having a camera to click images of an anatomical regionand a patient-application to process the images and transmit theprocessed images to a clinician-application, in accordance with someimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 2 illustrates a design of the device when the device is being usedas an otoscope to examine an ear of the patient, in accordance with someimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 3 illustrates a design of the device when the device is being usedas an optoscope to examine an eye of the patient, in accordance withsome implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 4 illustrates a design of the device when the device is being usedas a dermascope to examine skin of the patient, in accordance with someimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 5 illustrates a design of the device when the device is being usedas a dental scope to examine one or more teeth of the patient, inaccordance with some implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 6 illustrates a lens-holder configured to hold one or more lenses,in accordance with some implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 7 illustrates an ear-piece holder configured to hold the otoscopehead, in accordance with some implementations of the current subjectmatter;

FIG. 8 illustrates one example of the dermascope probe or the dentalscope probe, in accordance with some implementations of the currentsubject matter;

FIG. 9 illustrates an expanded view of the device, which includes aprobe, a lens-holder, a mobile device, and a gripper part, in accordancewith some implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 10 illustrates one example of the computing server, in accordancewith some implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 11 illustrates one example of a graphical user interface of thepatient-application to calibrate the mobile device, in accordance withsome implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 12 illustrates a method performed by a user to calibrate the mobiledevice to generate parameters for filters to be invoked later by a user,in accordance with some implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 13 illustrates a method performed by the mobile device and theserver to generate parameters for filters to be invoked later by a user,in accordance with some implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 14 illustrates one example of a graphical user interface of thepatient-application to be used after the device has been calibratedaccording to FIGS. 11-13 , in accordance with some implementations ofthe current subject matter;

FIG. 15 illustrates a method of using the calibrated device by a user,in accordance with some implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 16 illustrates a method performed by the patient-application andthe server to capture images of a patient, modify those images inaccordance with selection by a user, and transmit those images to aclinician-application, in accordance with some implementations of thecurrent subject matter;

FIG. 17 illustrates one example of a graphical user interface of theclinician-application executed on the clinical computer, in accordancewith some implementations of the current subject matter; and

FIG. 18 illustrates an alternative device where the camera,patient-application, memory and the processor/controller are directly apart of the device, rather than being a part of a separate mobile deviceas is the case in the implementation of FIG. 1 , in accordance with someimplementations of the current subject matter.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an anatomical-imaging communication device 102 (alsoreferred to as the device) that includes a probe 104 that is changeablebased on anatomical part of a patient 106 to be examined; a detachablelens 108 to view that anatomical part and specific to that anatomicalpart; and a mobile device (e.g., mobile phone) 110 including a camera112 to capture the anatomical part, a patient-application 114 that iscalibrated using specific filters to capture high quality images, amemory 113 to store the captured images, and a processor/controller 115that can transmit the images to a computing server 116. The computingserver 116, which can serve as the back-end for the patient-application114 as well as a clinician-application 118, can store the images in adatabase, and can transmit those images to the clinician-application 118configured run on a clinical computer 120.

The design of the device 102 can vary based on the anatomical part beingexamined, as explained by FIGS. 2-5 . Some aspects of the design arefurther clarified by FIGS. 6-9 . One example of the computing server 116is described below by FIG. 10 . The calibration of the mobile device 110is discussed below by FIGS. 11-13 . The use of the calibrated mobiledevice 110 is explained below by FIGS. 14-16 . One example of agraphical user interface of the clinician-application 118 is describedbelow by FIG. 17 . Another alternative device 102 is presented below byFIG. 18 .

The probe 104 can vary based on the anatomical part being examined. Forexample, the probe 104 can be one or more of an otoscope probe, anoptoscope probe, and a dermascope probe that can be extended to form adental probe. The otoscope probe is described in more detail below byFIG. 2 . The optoscope probe is discussed in more detail below by FIG. 3. The dermascope probe is described in further detail below by FIG. 4 .The dental scope probe is discussed in more detail below by FIG. 5 .Although an otoscope probe, an optoscope probe, a dermascope probe, anda dental probe are described, in alternate implementations, any otherprobe can be used.

The lens 108 can be a convex lens that can have a diameter between 16 mmand 23 mm.

The mobile device 110 can be a cellular smart phone, a tablet computer,a phablet computer, or the like. The mobile device 110 can be light inweight so that the device 102 remains light in weight, portable, andeasy to use. The camera 112 can include: a lens (which may be separatefrom the lens 108), which can enable the camera to see the anatomicalregion; a converter, which can convert the output of the lens intodigital data; and at least one processor (which may be separate from theprocessor 115), which can process the digital data—e.g., apply imageprocessing algorithms such as JPEG optimization and color correction—byimplementing and transition that processed data into an image file. Inone implementation, the camera 112 can have a resolution of two or moremegapixels. In an alternate implementation, the camera 112 can have anyvalue of resolution.

While the mobile device 110 is described as including a camera 112, inalternate implementations the mobile device 110 and the camera 112 canbe separate physical entities that are communicatively coupled with eachother via, for example, a wired or a wireless connection.

The patient-application 114 can be a software application executed onthe mobile device 110, which can have an iPhone operating system (IOS),ANDROID, or any other operating system.

The computing server 116 can be a device or a computer program that canprovide functionality for devices or other programs or devices, whichcan be referred to as clients. The computing server 116 can be a cloudcomputing server, as explained below by FIG. 8 . In an alternateimplementation, the computing server 116 can be a cluster of computers.In another implementation, the computing server 116 can be one or moreof: a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a phabletcomputer, a cellular/smart phone, and any other suitable computingdevice. The computing server 116 can be communicatively coupled with themobile device 110 via a communication network, such as one or more of:local area network, internet, wide area network, metropolitan areanetwork, BLUETOOTH network, infrared network, wired network, and anyother communication network.

The clinician-application 118 can be a software application executed onthe clinical computer 120, which can have a WINDOWS, LINUX, MAC OS,iPhone operating system (IOS), ANDROID, or any other operating system.

The clinical computer 120 can be one or more of: a desktop computer, alaptop computer, a tablet computer, a phablet computer, a cellular/smartphone, and any other suitable computing device. The clinical computer120 can be communicatively coupled with the computing server 116 via acommunication network, such as one or more of: local area network,internet, wide area network, metropolitan area network, BLUETOOTHnetwork, infrared network, wired network, and any other communicationnetwork.

FIG. 2 illustrates a design of the device 102 when the device 102 isbeing used as an otoscope 202 to examine an ear of the patient 106. Theotoscope 202 can include a probe 104, a lens-holder 204 configured tosecurely hold a lens 108, and a mobile device 110. The probe 104 here isan otoscope probe 206, which can include an ear-piece holder 207 thatcan securely hold an otoscope head 208. Aspects of the ear-piece holder207 are described below by FIG. 7 . The otoscope head 208 can have aheight of 13.624 mm, an internal diameter of 36.576 mm, a thickness of2.622 mm, and an aperture of 22.860 mm. The otoscope head 208 can havean attachment feature that can allow the otoscope probe 206 to beattached or fixed to the lens-holder 204.

The otoscope head 208 can include two protrusions 210 opposite eachother (note only one protrusion is shown, as the other protrusion ishidden) such that one of the protrusions 210 is configured to interfacewith the ear of the patient 106. While two protrusions 210 are described(i.e., one shown, and the other hidden in the drawing), in alternateimplementations the otoscope head 208 can have a single protrusion 210that is shown in the drawing. Each of the two protrusions 210 can have athickness of 3.048 mm.

The aperture of the otoscope head 208 head can permit specula ofdifferent base diameters—e.g., 25 mm, 27 mm, and 30 mm—to be attached soas to firmly secure the specula being used in place. The specula to beused can be chosen based on the age of the patient—e.g., age less thanor equal to 18 years, or more than 18 years—and/or the size of the earbeing examined.

The structure of the lens-holder 204 is further described below by FIG.6 . The lens-holder 204 can be securely attached to the mobile device110 via a gripper part 212, which is described in further detail belowby FIG. 9 .

FIG. 3 illustrates a design of the device 102 when the device 102 isbeing used as an optoscope 302 to examine an eye of the patient 106. Theoptoscope 302 can include a probe 104, a lens-holder 204 configured tosecurely hold a lens 108, and a mobile device 110. The probe 104 here isan optoscope probe 304, which can include an optoscope head 306. Theoptoscope head 306 can include a truncated cone 308 such that the largerbase of the truncated cone 308 can interface with the eye of the patient106.

The optoscope head 306 can have a base portion and an aperture. Thetotal height of the optoscope head 306 can be 18.416 mm, of which theheight of the base portion can be 11.078 mm and the height of theaperture can be 7.338 mm. The diameter of the base portion can be 36.107mm, and the aperture diameter can be 24.618 mm. The aperture can have athickness of 3.009 mm. The optoscope probe 304 can have an attachmentfeature that can allow the optoscope probe 304 to be attached or fixedto the lens-holder 204. The truncated cone 308 can be securely placed onthe aperture. The truncated cone 308 can be soft and hollow so as toallow the eye to be examined without discomfort to the patient 106. Thetruncated cone 308 can have a base diameter of 30 mm, an outer diameterof 52 mm, a height of 28 mm, and a thickness of 1.7 mm.

FIG. 4 illustrates a design of the device 102 when the device 102 isbeing used as a dermascope 402 to examine skin of the patient 106. Thedermascope 402 can include a probe 104, a lens-holder 204 configured tosecurely hold a lens 108, and a mobile device 110. The probe 104 here isa dermascope probe 404, which can include a dermascope head 406. Thedermascope head 406 can include a base portion and an aperture. Theaperture can be a curved truncated cone 408 such that the smaller baseof the truncated cone 408 is configured to interface with the skin ofthe patient 106.

The total height of the dermascope head 406 can be 33.986 mm, of whichthe height of the base portion can be 9.144 mm and the height of theaperture (i.e., curved truncated cone 408) can be 24.842 mm. Thediameter of the base portion can be 36.576 mm. At the point ofattachment of the base portion and the aperture (i.e., curved truncatedcone 408), both the base portion and the aperture (i.e., curvedtruncated cone 408) can have a diameter of 36.576 mm. The diameter ofthe aperture (i.e., curved truncated cone 408) at the top (i.e., the endthat is the closest to the skin of the patient 106) can be 26.033 mm.The aperture (i.e., curved truncated cone 408) can have a thickness of3.048 mm.

The dermascope head 406 can include one or more protrusions 410 forextending the dermascope 402 into a dental scope of FIG. 5 . The one ormore protrusions 410 can allow attachment to a tongue depressor and/or adental mirror so as to convert the dermascope to the dental scope ofFIG. 5 . For attaching a tongue depressor to the dermascope head, atleast one protrusion 410 can have a width of 24.994 mm and a height of8.932 mm. For attaching a dental mirror, at least one protrusion 410 canhave a width of 9.144 mm and a height of 9.144 mm.

FIG. 5 illustrates a design of the device 102 when the device 102 isbeing used as a dental scope 502 to examine one or more teeth of thepatient 106. The dental scope 502 can include a probe 104, a lens-holder204 configured to securely hold a lens 108, and a mobile device 110. Theprobe 104 here can be a dental scope probe 504 (which can be same as thedermascope probe 404), which can include a dental scope head 506 (whichcan be same as the dermascope head 406). The dental scope head 506 caninclude a base portion and an aperture. The aperture can be a curvedtruncated cone 408 such that the smaller base of the truncated cone 408is configured to interface with the teeth of the patient 106.

The total height of the dental scope head 506 can be 33.986 mm, of whichthe height of the base portion can be 9.144 mm and the height of theaperture (i.e., curved truncated cone 408) can be 24.842 mm. Thediameter of the base portion can be 36.576 mm. At the point ofattachment of the base portion and the aperture (i.e., curved truncatedcone 408), both the base portion and the aperture (i.e., curvedtruncated cone 408) can have a diameter of 36.576 mm. The diameter ofthe aperture (i.e., curved truncated cone 408) at the top (i.e., the endthat is the closest to the skin of the patient 106) can be 26.033 mm.The aperture (i.e., curved truncated cone 408) can have a thickness of3.048 mm.

The dental scope head 506 can include one or more protrusions 410 thatcan allow attachment to a dental mirror 508 and/or a tongue depressor.This way, a dermascope 402 can be easily converted to the dental scope502. For attaching a tongue depressor to the dental scope head 506, atleast one protrusion 410 can have a width of 24.994 mm and a height of8.932 mm. For attaching a dental mirror to the dental scope head 506, atleast one protrusion 410 can have a width of 9.144 mm and a height of9.144 mm.

FIG. 6 illustrates a lens-holder 204 configured to hold one or morelenses 108. The lens-holder 204 can be made of polylactic acid (PLA),which is a biodegradable and a safe polymer. The lens-holder 204 canhave an adjustable lens-case 602, a chamber 604, and a cap 606.

The adjustable lens-case 602 can have a height of 9.597 mm, an outerdiameter of 37.242 mm, an internal diameter of 34.499 mm, and athickness of 2.743 mm. The actual lens holding area within theadjustable lens-case 602 can have a diameter of 23.078 mm, a height of4.387, and an aperture with a diameter of 15.824 mm.

The chamber 604 can have an outer diameter of 30.938 mm, an internaldiameter of 28.316 mm, a height of 66.548 mm, and a thickness of 2.622mm. The chamber 604 can have a clip length of 4.065 mm to allow for thecap 606 to be attached to or fixed on the chamber 604. The chamber 604can have indents of 43.180 mm in height to allow for adjustment of theadjustable lens-case 602. The chamber 604 can have a base length of25.399 mm and width 29.971 mm.

The cap 606 can have an outer diameter of 33.515 mm, an internaldiameter of 30.937 mm, a height of 10.293 mm, a thickness of 2.578 mm,and an aperture diameter of 23.493 mm.

FIG. 7 illustrates an ear-piece holder 207 configured to hold theotoscope head 208. The ear-piece holder 207 can be made of polylacticacid (PLA), which is a safe biodegradable polymer. The ear-piece holder207 can have a height of 13.624 mm, an internal diameter of 36.576 mm, athickness of 2.622 mm and an aperture of 22.860 mm. The ear-piece holder207 can have an attachment feature that can allow it to be securelyattached or fixed to the cap 606 of the lens-holder 204.

FIG. 8 illustrates one example of the dermascope probe 404 or the dentalscope probe 504. The probe 404/504 can be made of polylactic acid (PLA),which is a safe biodegradable polymer.

FIG. 9 illustrates an expanded view of the device 102, which can includea probe 104, a lens-holder 204, a mobile device 110, and a gripper part212. The gripper part 212 can include a center part 902, a fixedclamping part 904 configured to be fixed (i.e., non-movable), and anadjustable clamping part 906 configured to be movable or adjustable.

The center part 902 can have brackets 908, which can allow thecombination of lens-holder 204 and probe 104 to slide along until thepositioning of the lens 108 is adjusted according to the location of thecamera 112 on the mobile device 110. Once the positioning of the lens108 is adjusted, all the parts of the device 102 can be secured so as toprevent any loosening during examination using the device 102.

The center part 902 can have an external width of 57.150 mm, an externalheight of 48.26 mm, thickness of 5.079 mm, an internal width of 52.070mm, and an internal height of 25.400 mm. The center part 902 can have aprotrusion of length 25.4 mm that can allow for the adjustable clampingpart 906 to be adjusted.

The fixed clamping part 904 can have a height of 48 mm, a width of 8 mm,and a clamping curve width of 7.7 mm, which can close-off the openingthrough which the combination of lens-holder 204 and probe 104 can beinserted into the center part 902. The adjustable clamping part 906 canalso have a clamping curvature width of 7.7 mm. Such clamping curvaturewidths of the fixed clamping part 904 and the adjustable clamping part906 can securely attach the combination of lens-holder 204 and probe 104to most modern mobile phones, any one of which can be used as the mobiledevice 110.

The adjustable clamping part 906 can be moved to increase or decreasethe width of the adjustable lens bracket to complement the width of themobile device 110 being used. The adjustable clamping part 906 can havea height of 60.96 mm, width of 13.97 mm, and a clamping curve width of7.7 mm. The adjustable clamping part 906 can include clips to allow foradjustment of total gripper width, and the clips can have a width of27.94 mm.

The adjustable clamping part 906 can also include a hollow opening toinsert a battery that can power the combination of lens-holder 204 andprobe 104. The hollow opening can have an internal width of 11.43 mm andan internal length of 19.05 mm. The hollow opening can additionallyinclude a charging circuit for that battery. The charging circuit andthe batter can be held in place using lid having a width of 13.97 mm anda length of 21.59 mm. The lid can be secured so that the power unit isfirmly enclosed.

FIG. 10 illustrates one example of the computing server 116. Thecomputing server 116 can be a cloud computing server. The cloudcomputing server 116 can include software development kits (SDKs) 1002,web modules 1004, an application programming interface (API) 1006, oneor more controllers 1008 including one or more processors 1010, and oneor more databases 1012 connected to the one or more controllers 1008. Atleast one of the one or more SDKs 1002 and the one or more web modules1004 can receive, from the patient-application 114 on the mobile device110, images captured (e.g., clicked) by the camera 112 while using thepatient-application 114. The one or more SDKs 1002 can receive theimages from the patient-application 114 when the mobile device 110 is amobile phone, a tablet computer, or a phablet computer. The one or moreweb modules 1004 can receive the images from the patient-application 114when the mobile device 110 is a laptop computer.

The API 1006 can be a set of subroutine definitions, protocols, and/ortools that define method of communication between thepatient-application 114 and the computing server 116 and between theclient-application 118 and the computing server 116. The API 1006 canensure, for example, that the data from the at least one of the one ormore software development kits 1002 and the one or more web modules 1004can be read by the one or more controllers 1008 and the one or moreprocessors 1010.

Each database 1012 can be a cloud database, which can advantageouslypermit an easy scalability of the database 1012 when required (e.g.,when additional data needs to be stored, which can happen, for example,when the number of patients increase beyond a threshold value). In oneimplementation, access to that database 1012 can be provided as aservice. In some implementations, the database 1012 can be run onvirtual machine instances. In one implementation, the database 1012 canbe a disk storage. In some alternate implementations, the database 1012can be a main memory (e.g., random access memory) rather than a diskstorage. In those alternate implementations, access of data from themain memory can advantageously eliminate seek time when querying thedata, which can provides a faster access of data, as compared toaccessing data from the disk.

The use of a cloud computing server 116 can be advantageous over atraditional server, as the cloud computing server 116 permits a quickscalability by addition of additional web services within in a fewseconds. When the load on the patient-application 114 orclinician-application 118 increases, additional processors 1010 ordatabases 1012 can be added—or alternately the processing abilities ofthe existing processors 1010 or databases 1012 can be enhanced—within afew seconds. Additionally, inclusion of all of the one or more softwaredevelopment kits 1002, one or more web modules 1004, API 1006, at leastone data processor 1010, and database 1012 within the cloud computingserver 116 can advantageously enable: a dynamic provisioning, monitoringand managing of the patient-application 114 and clinician-application118; as well as an easy and a quick (e.g., within a few seconds)restoring the patient-application 114 and/or the clinician-application118 to a previous version of those applications if and when required.

FIG. 11 illustrates one example of a graphical user interface 1102 ofthe patient-application 114 to calibrate the mobile device 110. Thegraphical user interface 1102 can display a drop-down menu to prompt theuser to select an anatomical part—from several anatomical parts,including an ear, a nose, an eye, a mouth, teeth, skin, and/or thelike—on which the probe 104 is to be placed. This ensures that thecalibration is specific to the selected anatomical part. When the userselects a particular anatomical part (e.g., skin), thepatient-application 114 can optionally determine and display, on thegraphical user interface 1102, recommendations for lens as well as theprobe 104 for the anatomical part. The graphical user interface 1102 candisplay a button, which when pressed, can activate the camera of themobile device 110 to take images of the anatomical part and subsequentlygenerate parameters for filters to be later used to edit images, asdescribed in greater detail below by FIGS. 12 and 13 .

FIG. 12 illustrates a method 1200 performed by a user to calibrate themobile device 110 to generate parameters for filters to be invoked laterby a user. The user can assemble, at 1202, the device 102 according tothe anatomical region to be used. The assembly of the device 102 caninclude attaching or mating the components of the device 102 so that thedevice 102 can image a patient 106, and then send filtered and approvedversion of that image to a clinician-application 118. The assembly caninclude selecting a lens and/or a probe of the device 102 that arespecific to the anatomical region. The user can position, at 1204, theassembled device adjacent to the anatomical region of the patient 106such that the probe is close to (e.g., either in the vicinity of ortouching, as may be medically recommended) that anatomical region. Theanatomical region can be an ear, a nose, an eye, a mouth, teeth, skin,and/or the like. The user can open (e.g., click an icon on the homescreen of the mobile device 110 to run), at 1206, thepatient-application 114 on the mobile device 110.

The user can provide, at 1208, an instruction on the patient-application114 (e.g., by pressing/clicking a button) to commence imaging of theanatomical region to generate parameters for filters. More specifically,the patient-application 114 can run a specific programming function,which when run can return a value that is referred to as the parameter.For example: the execution of a morphological operation on the image canreturn a value referred to as parameter M; the execution of a histogramequalization function on the image can return a value referred to asparameter H; the execution of a noise removal function can return avalue referred to as parameter N; the execution of a contrast adjustmentfunction on the image can return a value referred to as parameter C; theexecution of an unsharp masking function can return a value referred toas a parameter U; and the like. Each of the values or parameters M, H,N, C, U, and/or the like can be a data structure, such as a matrix. Theparameters M, H, N, C, U, and/or the like can be stored in the one ormore databases 1214.

FIG. 13 illustrates a method 1300 performed by the mobile device 110 andthe server 116 to generate parameters for filters to be invoked later bya user. The user invoking the parameters at a later time may or may notbe the same as the user performing the steps 1202, 1204, 1206, and 1208.The patient-application 114 can use a camera of the mobile device 110 tocapture (e.g., click), at 1302, an image of the anatomical part on thepatient-application 114. In some implementations, at least one processorof the mobile device 110 may capture the image in response to a manualinstruction by a user of the mobile device 110. In otherimplementations, at least one processor of the mobile device 110 maycapture the image in response to an automatic instruction by the one ormore processors 1010.

The one or more processors 1010 can run or execute, at 1304, specificfunctions to generate corresponding parameters. For example: theexecution of a morphological operation on the image can return a valuereferred to as parameter M; the execution of a histogram equalizationfunction on the image can return a value referred to as parameter H; theexecution of a noise removal function can return a value referred to asparameter N; the execution of a contrast adjustment function on theimage can return a value referred to as parameter C; the execution of anunsharp masking function can return a value referred to as a parameterU; and the like. Each of the values or parameters M, H, N, C, U, and/orthe like can be a data structure, such as a matrix. While the executionof the specific functions at 1304 is described as being performed by theone or more processors 1010, in alternate implementations the one ormore processors 1010 can provide an instruction to at least oneprocessor of the mobile device 110 to perform this execution.

The one or more databases 1014 can store, at 1306, the parameters M, H,N, C, U, and/or the like. The patient-application 114 can retrieve oneor more of the stored parameters from the one or more databases 1014when a user selects a filter associated with those one or moreparameters from a plurality of filters. While the parameters M, H, N, C,U, and/or the like are described as being stored in the one or moredatabases 1014, in alternate implementations the one or more processors1010 can instruct at least one processor of the mobile device 110 tostore those parameters in a main memory of the mobile device 110,wherein the main memory subsequently can store those parameters.

The calibrated mobile device 110 can capture high quality images, whichcan be medical grade images. Medical grade images can include optimalvalues of at least the following: contrast, blur, noise, artifacts, anddistortion. The optimal contrast can ensure visibility of variousanatomical portions of the anatomical part. The optimal blur can blurthe anatomical portions, of the anatomical part, that may not beimportant or may be irrelevant for analyzing the anatomical part. Theoptimal noise may cause optimal visibility of relevant anatomicalportions of the anatomical part. The effect of the noise can be mostsignificant on the low-contrast portions of the image. The optimaldistortion can optimize the size, shape, and relative positions ofvarious anatomical portions of the anatomical part.

FIG. 14 illustrates one example of a graphical user interface 1402 ofthe patient-application 114 to be used after the device 102 has beencalibrated according to FIGS. 11-13 . The graphical user interface 1402can display a drop-down menu to prompt the user to select an anatomicalpart—from several anatomical parts, including an ear, a nose, an eye, amouth, teeth, skin, and/or the like—on which the probe 104 is to beplaced. When the user selects a particular anatomical part (e.g., Skin),the patient-application 114 can optionally display, on the graphicaluser interface 1402, recommendations for lens as well as the probe 104for the anatomical part. The graphical user interface 1402 can display:a first button, which when pressed, can activate the camera of themobile device 110; a second button, which when pressed, can display theimages clicked using the camera; a third button, which when pressed, canenable a user to apply a filter to the image (which results in thepatient-application 114 retrieving the corresponding parametersretrieved from the database to run the programing code for the filterfunction) and then review the filtered image; and a fourth button, whichwhen pressed, can transmit the images to an clinician-application 118executed on the clinical computer 120.

FIG. 15 illustrates a method 1500 of using the calibrated device 102 bya user. The user using the calibrated device 102 may be different thanthe user calibrating the device 102 by performing the steps 1202, 1204,1206, and 1208. For example, the user using the calibrated device 102may be a patient, and the user calibrating the device 102 may be atechnician or a seller of the device. The user can assemble, at 1502,the device according to the anatomical region to be imaged. Theanatomical region can be an ear, a nose, an eye, a mouth, teeth, skin,and/or the like. The assembly of the device 102 can include attaching ormating the components of the device 102 so that the device 102 can imagea patient 106, and then send filtered and approved version of that imageto a clinician-application 118. The assembly of the device 102 can alsoinclude selecting a lens and/or a probe of the device 102 that arespecific to the anatomical region.

The user can position, at 1504, the assembled device adjacent to theanatomical region of the patient 106 such that the probe is close to(e.g., either in the vicinity of or touching, as may be medicallyrecommended) that anatomical region. The anatomical region can be anear, a nose, an eye, a mouth, teeth, skin, and/or the like. The user canopen (e.g., click an icon on the home screen of the mobile device 110 torun), at 1506, the patient-application 114 on the mobile device 110. Theuser can provide, at 1508, an instruction on the patient-application 114(e.g., by pressing/clicking a button) to commence imaging of theanatomical region. Once the images are captured, the user can review, at1510, the images on the patient-application 114.

The user can select, at 1512 and on the patient-application 114, afilter, from multiple filters, to be applied on a captured image togenerate a filtered image. More particularly, the patient-application114 can retrieve the stored parameters M, H, N, C, U, and/or thelike—that are specific to or associated with the selected filter—fromthe one or more databases 1012, and then execute the programming codefor the selected filter by using the retrieved parameters to generate afiltered image. The user can review, at 1514, the filtered image on thepatient-application 114. The user can provide, at 1510, an instructionon the patient-application 114 to transmit the filtered image to theclinician-application 118.

FIG. 16 illustrates a method 1600 performed by the patient-application114 and the server 116 to capture images of a patient 106, modify thoseimages in accordance with selection by a user, and transmit those imagesto a clinician-application 118. The patient-application 114 can use acamera of the mobile device 110 to capture, at 1602, images of ananatomical region of a patient 106. The patient-application 114 candisplay, at 1604 the captured images on a graphical user interface 1402.The display on the graphical user interface 1402 can be controlled bythe one or more controllers 1008.

The patient-application 114 can display, at 1606, types of filters onthe graphical user interface 1402. The one or more processors 1010 canreceive, at 1608, data indicating a filter selected by a user from thevarious types of filters. The one or more processors 1010 can retrievethe stored parameters (e.g., M, H, N, C, U, and/or the like) that arespecific to or associated with the selected filter. The one or moreprocessors 1012 can apply, at 1612, the retrieved parameters to theprogramming code of the selected filter to generate a filtered image.The graphical user interface 1402 can display, at 1614, the filteredimage. The patient-application 114 can transmit, at 1616, the filteredimage to the clinician-application 118.

FIG. 17 illustrates one example of a graphical user interface 1702 ofthe clinician-application 118 executed on the clinical computer 120.When the patient-application 114 transmits the images to theclinician-application 118, the clinician-application 118 can generate analarm on the graphical user interface 1702 to indicate to a user (e.g.,clinician) that new images have been received from the user of thepatient-application 114 (e.g., patient John Doe). The graphical userinterface 1702 can include a drop-down menu, which, when selected by theclinician, can display historical records of the patient. The graphicaluser interface 1702 can further include a button, which, when pressed bythe clinician can display the recently viewed medical images of thepatient. The graphical user interface 1702 can provide an area where theclinician can input diagnosis of the patient based on the images. Thegraphical user interface 1702 can include another button, which, whenpressed by the clinician, can transmit the diagnosis to thepatient-application 114.

FIG. 18 illustrates an alternative device 102 where the camera 112,patient-application 114, memory 113 and the processor/controller 115 aredirectly a part of the device 102, rather than being a part of aseparate mobile device 110 as is the case in the implementation of FIG.1 . That is, the device 102 may not need a mobile device 110, such as amobile phone, to perform the functionality described by FIG. 1 .

Various implementations of the subject matter described herein can berealized/implemented in digital electronic circuitry, integratedcircuitry, specially designed application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinationsthereof. These various implementations can be implemented in one or morecomputer programs. These computer programs can be executable and/orinterpreted on a programmable system. The programmable system caninclude at least one programmable processor, which can have a specialpurpose or a general purpose. The at least one programmable processorcan be coupled to a storage system, at least one input device, and atleast one output device. The at least one programmable processor canreceive data and instructions from, and can transmit data andinstructions to, the storage system, the at least one input device, andthe at least one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications or code) can include machine instructions for aprogrammable processor, and can be implemented in a high-levelprocedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or inassembly/machine language. As can be used herein, the term“machine-readable medium” can refer to any computer program product,apparatus and/or device (for example, magnetic discs, optical disks,memory, programmable logic devices (PLDs)) used to provide machineinstructions and/or data to a programmable processor, including amachine-readable medium that can receive machine instructions as amachine-readable signal. The term “machine-readable signal” can refer toany signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to aprogrammable processor.

To provide for interaction with a user, the subject matter describedherein can be implemented on a computer that can display data to one ormore users on a display device, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) device,a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, a light emitting diode (LED)monitor, or any other display device. The computer can receive data fromthe one or more users via a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a joystick,or any other input device. To provide for interaction with the user,other devices can also be provided, such as devices operating based onuser feedback, which can include sensory feedback, such as visualfeedback, auditory feedback, tactile feedback, and any other feedback.The input from the user can be received in any form, such as acousticinput, speech input, tactile input, or any other input.

The subject matter described herein can be implemented in a computingsystem that can include at least one of a back-end component, amiddleware component, a front-end component, and one or morecombinations thereof. The back-end component can be a data server. Themiddleware component can be an application server. The front-endcomponent can be a client computer having a graphical user interface ora web browser, through which a user can interact with an implementationof the subject matter described herein. The components of the system canbe interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication,such as a communication network. Examples of communication networks caninclude a local area network, a wide area network, internet, intranet,BLUETOOTH network, infrared network, or other networks.

Although a few variations have been described in detail above, othermodifications can be possible. For example, the logic flows depicted inthe accompanying figures and described herein do not require theparticular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults. Additionally, dimensions of various components have beenprovided. These dimensions are examples, and alternates for eachdimension may be possible. For example, in other implementations, eachdimension may have an alternative value that can range from minus tenpercent (i.e., −10%) of that dimension to plus ten percent (i.e., +10%)of that dimension. Additionally, dimensions of each component can bescaled up or down to ensure a proper fit of that component with anyother element/component, such as the mobile device 110, probe 104, thelens-holder 204, or any other element/component.

Other embodiments may be within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by a device, aselection of an anatomical part to be imaged from a user; providing, bythe device, one or more recommendations for a lens and a probe based onthe anatomical part; obtaining, by the device, a calibration image ofthe anatomical part using the lens and the probe that were included inthe one or more recommendations; executing, by the device, one or morefunctions on the calibration image to obtain one or more parametersassociated with the device, wherein each parameter is a returned valuewhen executing the corresponding function; storing, by the device, theone or more parameters in a memory of the device or a database separatefrom the device; obtaining, by the device, a captured image of theanatomical part; applying, by the device, a filter to the captured imagebased on a subset of the one or more parameters; and transmit, by thedevice and to a second device through a communication network, thefiltered captured image.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:displaying, by the device, a plurality of filters; receiving, by thedevice and from the user, a selection of a filter among the plurality offilters; retrieving, by the device, the subset of the one or moreparameters associated with the selected filter from the one or morestored parameters; and displaying, by the device, the filtered capturedimage in response to applying the selected filter to the captured image.3. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the selected filter comprisesapplying the subset of the one or more parameters to a programming codeof the selected filter.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of theone or more parameters is a data structure.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the one or more functions comprise one or more of amorphological operation on the calibration image, a histogramequalization function on the calibration image, a noise removal functionon the calibration image, a contrast adjustment function on thecalibration image, an unsharp masking function on the calibration image.6. The method of claim 1, wherein the anatomical part comprises at leasta portion of one or more of an ear, a nose, an eye, a mouth, teeth, orskin.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe is one or more of anotoscope probe, an optoscope probe, a dermascope probe, and a dentalprobe.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the lens is a convex lenshaving a diameter between 16 mm and 23 mm.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the device is a mobile device or a computer.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the calibration image is obtained using a cameraattached to the device.
 11. A device, comprising: a processor; and amemory device storing instructions that, when executed by the processor,configure the processor to perform operations comprising: receiving aselection of an anatomical part to be imaged from a user; providing oneor more recommendations for a lens and a probe based on the anatomicalpart; obtaining a calibration image of the anatomical part using thelens and the probe that were included in the one or morerecommendations; executing one or more functions on the calibrationimage to obtain one or more parameters associated with the device,wherein each parameter is a returned value when executing thecorresponding function; storing the one or more parameters in a memoryof the device or a database separate from the device; obtaining acaptured image of the anatomical part; applying a filter to the capturedimage based on a subset of the one or more parameters; and transmit, toa second device through a communication network, the filtered capturedimage.
 12. The device of claim 11, the operations further comprising:displaying a plurality of filters; receiving, from the user, a selectionof a filter among the plurality of filters; retrieving the subset of theone or more parameters associated with the selected filter from the oneor more stored parameters; and displaying the filtered captured image inresponse to applying the selected filter to the captured image.
 13. Thedevice of claim 11, applying the selected filter comprises applying thesubset of the one or more parameters to a programming code of theselected filter.
 14. The device of claim 11, wherein each of the one ormore parameters is a data structure.
 15. The device of claim 11, whereinthe one or more functions comprise one or more of a morphologicaloperation on the calibration image, a histogram equalization function onthe calibration image, a noise removal function on the calibrationimage, a contrast adjustment function on the calibration image, anunsharp masking function on the calibration image.
 16. The device ofclaim 11, wherein the anatomical part comprises at least a portion ofone or more of an ear, a nose, an eye, a mouth, teeth, or skin.
 17. Thedevice of claim 11, wherein the probe is one or more of an otoscopeprobe, an optoscope probe, a dermascope probe, and a dental probe. 18.The device of claim 11, wherein the lens is a convex lens having adiameter between 16 mm and 23 mm.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium comprising instructions for execution by at least oneprocessor of a device, the instructions when executed by the at leastone processor, cause the device to perform operations comprising:receiving a selection of an anatomical part to be imaged from a user;providing one or more recommendations for a lens and a probe based onthe anatomical part; obtaining a calibration image of the anatomicalpart using the lens and the probe that were included in the one or morerecommendations; executing one or more functions on the calibrationimage to obtain one or more parameters associated with the device,wherein each parameter is a returned value when executing thecorresponding function; storing the one or more parameters in a memoryof the device or a database separate from the device; obtaining acaptured image of the anatomical part; applying a filter to the capturedimage based on a subset of the one or more parameters; and transmit, toa second device through a communication network, the filtered capturedimage.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim19, the operations further comprising: displaying a plurality offilters; receiving, from the user, a selection of a filter among theplurality of filters; retrieving the subset of the one or moreparameters associated with the selected filter from the one or morestored parameters; configuring the selected filter by applying thesubset of the one or more parameters to a programming code of theselected filter; applying the selected filter to the captured image; anddisplaying the filtered captured image in response to applying theselected filter to the captured image.